Formula 1 team Red Bull drops driver Sergio Perez after four seasons

by JAMES ELLINGWORTH, Associated Press - 12/18/24 12:20 PM ET

FILE- Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, right, who clocked the fastest time, speaks with Red Bull driver Sergio Perez of Mexico , who clocked the third fastest time during qualification ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Spa, Belgium, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File0

Formula 1 team Red Bull has dropped Sergio Perez after months of poor results.

Perez has not won a race since April 2023, even as his teammate Max Verstappen has dominated F1, and the 34-year-old Mexican was rarely competitive this season.

Red Bull announced the move Wednesday, terminating Perez’s contract two years early, and said a replacement will be announced “in due course.”

Nicknamed “Checo,” Perez started the 2024 season with four podium finishes from the first five races, but he wasn’t in the top three since. His last race finish higher than sixth was in May. Verstappen won nine races and his fourth consecutive title this year.

The last time there was such a gulf in results between an F1 champion and the team’s other driver in F1 was in 1994, when Verstappen’s father Jos was dropped before the end of the season as Michael Schumacher won the title with Benetton.

“Driving for Red Bull has been an unforgettable experience and I’ll always cherish the successes we achieved together,” Perez said in a team statement.

“We broke records, reached remarkable milestones, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many incredible people along the way,” he added. “A special thank you to the fans around the world, and especially to the Mexican fans for your unwavering support every day. We’ll meet again soon. And remember… Never give up.”

Perez was once nicknamed the “Mexican Minister of Defense” for his support to Verstappen in their first year as teammates in 2021, when he held up rivals and allowed Verstappen to get away. This year, they’ve typically been so far apart on the track that Perez wasn’t able to provide any meaningful help.

Red Bull publicly kept faith with Perez, even handing him a contract extension through 2026 in June, but performances didn’t improve. Red Bull had been trying to settle Perez with that extension but it “obviously didn’t work,” team principal Christian Horner said this month.

On Wednesday, Horner called Perez an “extraordinary team player.”

“His five wins, all on street circuits, were also a spectacular mark of his determination to always push to the limit,” Horner added.

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